No. 3. 



Straivberries. — Destructive Insects. 



93 



apple — although that should be persevered 

 in, to obtain varieties — and the produce 

 could be always depended upon to be the 

 same sorts as those from which the cutting's 

 were taken. 



If landed proprietors and Horticultural 

 Societies would encourage this mode, and if 

 farmers, nurserymen, market-gardeners, and 

 every cottager who has a few yards of spare 

 fresh ground, would immediately practice it, 

 I believe that in two or three years — through 

 the blessing of Heaven, ever ready to second 

 man's instrumentality, — the whole of the 

 united kingdom would have more abundant 

 crops of this nutritious root, much improved 

 in quality, and the different sorts distinctly 

 classified. It is also highly probable that 

 if cuttings of these new plantations were, 

 from year to year planted in fresh ground, 

 the plague of this mysterious disease might 

 be entirely eradicated. I am planting cut- 

 tings of the stalks of those growing from 

 the result of my last year's experiment, and 

 expect that the offspring will be superfine. 

 W, Whitehouse. 



Spittal, Berwickon-Tweed, 

 July 29th, 1846. 



StraAvberries. 



Cincinnati appears truly to be in the region of this 

 fruit. Her people luxuriate in them, and her garden- 

 ers understand their propagation. The Gazette of that 

 city of the 27th of Fifth month Inst, gives the follow 

 ing description of an abundance, which makes us wish 

 we "had been there to eat." The supply in our own 

 market, however, was a liberal one, and prices reason- 

 able. The general flavour, owing probably to the con- 

 tinued wet weather, was not so fine as usual.— Ed. 



" Our market is well supplied with this 

 delicious fruit. Probably one hundred bush- 

 els were on Fifth street yesterday. One 

 man had thirty bushels, and several others 

 ten and twelve each. The price ranges 

 from five to twenty cents per quart; Hovey's 

 Seedling selling quick, at the latter price, 

 and one must rise betimes to get these at 

 any price. It is a fact well illustrating the 

 importance of raising good fruit only, while 

 you are about it, that Hovey's Seedling 

 strawberry is in greater demand here at 

 twenty cents, than common kinds at five. 

 One gentleman from Chillicothe paid ^6 20 

 yesterday for a bushel of the seedl ing, and took 

 them home, via the river, to show his friends 

 what can be done in the strawberry line. 

 There was hardly an imperfect berry in the 

 lot; the size varying from four to five inches 

 in circumference." 



It is said a plantation of the Alpine straw- 

 berry yields fruit the same season it is made. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Destructive Insects. 



Mr. Editor, — Though almo.'-t out of sea- 

 son, my promise made in your July No. must 

 yet be fulfilled. Early in last month, a per- 

 fect insect one and a half inches long, with 

 fiUiform antennae half an inch long, colour 

 the same as its head — beautiful brown — si.\ 

 ringed abdomen ; short thorax, densely co- 

 vered above and below with scales; black 

 eyes; and four rudimentary wings — exter- 

 nal pair brown, internal, ash coloured, made 

 its appearance. From its inability to fly, it 

 is probably the female of the canker worm 

 of New England, adverted to and a plate 

 given — much smaller than the natural size 

 — by J. J. Thomas, in his late excellent 

 " Fruit Culturist." For a more extended 

 notice of its habits and modes of destruc- 

 tion, your readers may refer to the article, 

 Span- Worm, in the American Farmers' En- 

 cyclopedia. 



July 26th, I took a number of larvse of the 

 above soon after their first existence, and in 

 six days they were all dead and changed in 

 appearance. Their death was caused by the 

 larvse of another insect in their interior. In 

 two weeks — August 9lh — it emerged a most 

 beautiful ichneumon fly: its length half inch; 

 antennae filliform black, and as long as its 

 body; four anterior legs yellow and white, 

 two posterior yellow, white, and black; rings 

 of abdomen white and black alternately; 

 wings membranous; colour changeable. They 

 have a sting. It is gratifying to know that 

 we have this beautiful little assistant to keep 

 in check the ravages of those devastating 

 loopers. If, however, these last hymenop- 

 terse produce but one brood in a season, 

 which is probable, then we must still be on 

 the alert, as the loopers, or span-worms, ap- 

 pear at different periods in the season. 



I have not yet succeeded in procuring the 

 perfect insect of the second variety of cater- 

 pillar described. I am, however, convinced 

 the two kinds are essentially different — the 

 one spins a cocoon, the other descends into 

 the earth. I have them now in their pupa 

 state, spun in cocoon, and may succeed next 

 season. Both kinds are rapidly increasing 

 in this section. Let us then not be idle. 

 You, Mr. Editor, may write and print, but 

 how shall we get the great mass to read and 

 acf! Would that every owner of an apple 

 tree would even effect as much as the little 

 fly which I have attempted imperfectly to 

 describe ; then should we soon be divested 

 of these destructive insects. 



J. K. E. 



Paradise, Pa., September 15th, 1846. 



